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Exercises for 

LINCOLN'S 

BIRTHDAY 




LINCOLN'S 

BIRTHDAY 



EXERCISES 

FOR THE 

SCHOOL-ROOM 



EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 

BOSTON 

New York Chicago San Francisco 



4-5 



' •-*»* 



LiBRAPY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

1 39 1300 

Copyngnt Entry ~ 

CUSS C3U XXtt No, 
I'M ^C* 



Copyright, 1908 

BY 

EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 



CONTENTS 



Lincoln's Birthday Ella M. Powers 

Lincoln's Birthday A. Douglass 

A Lincoln Exercise Alice E. Allen 

Lincoln's Birthday Alice E. Allen 

A Lincoln Exercise .... 

For Lincoln's Birthday Inez N. McFee 

Abraham Lincoln M . Lizzie Stanley 

An Afternoon with Lincoln . 

A Lincoln Exercise Antoinette L. Can field 

Our Colors Alice E. Allen . 

Our Flag Alice E. Allen 

Lincoln's Story Susie L. Fitz 

A Lincoln Drill Susie L. Fitz 

What Makes Great Men Alice E. Allen 



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14 
18 
21 
26 
37 
49 
57 

63 

72 

75 
77 
79 
80 



Lincoln's Birthday 

February Twelfth 
Ella M. Powers 

Our children shall behold his fame, 
The kindly, earnest, brave, foreseeing man, 

Sagacious, patient, dreading praise, not blame, 
New birth of our new soil, the first American. 
— James Russell Lowell 

The deeper history penetrates into the life of Abraham 
Lincoln, the grander does the form of the "Martyr Pres- 
ident" stand forth as one of the greatest heroes of modern 

times. 

There is, in the whole history of this republic, no other 
man from whom one can learn more instructive, more in- 
spiring lessons of true patriotism. 

This lonely, untrained, uneducated boy on the rough 
frontier slowly but persistently worked his way through 
the hardest and rudest conditions, to a foremost place in 
American history. By his indomitable will, untiring per- 
severance, together with the kingly quality of courage, 
physical, moral and political, he made of himself a 
hero. 



Boyhood Days 

The home of Lincoln's boyhood days was a log cabin and 
he was almost a young man before he knew any home more 
comfortable than one made of logs. 

On February 12, 1809, he was born in one of these rough 
cabins. There was but one room, one door and no windows, 
and out on that little clearing in Kentucky Lincoln spent 
the first seven years of his life. With the wind, rain and 
snow beating into the room through the cracks between the 
logs, Lincoln's mother told him all she knew of the Bible, 
fairy tales and old legends. 

When Lincoln was seven years old the family moved to 
Indiana. Lincoln now began the work of building a new 
home, of clearing away the forests and of preparing fields 
for grain. Then there were chairs to be made from rude 
slabs of wood with holes bored in them for sticks which an- 
swered for legs; there was a rude bed to be made and many 
kitchen utensils, and Lincoln was ever ready to help. What 
if his shirt was of linsey-woolsey, his trousers of deer-skin 
and his cap of coon skin ? He soon had a man's will and 
wisdom and accepted his hard work cheerfully. 

He was ambitious to learn. "I only went to school by 
littles," he said later in life; "in all it did not amount to 
more than a year." Yet no lad ever improved every 
moment for study as did this boy, whose very longing did 
more for him perhaps than richer opportunities would have 
done. When not at work, he was studying. Many hours 
he spent by the fireplace teaching himself grammar, spelling 
and arithmetic. A shovel was his slate, a charred stick his 
pencil, when in the cabin ; but often when out in the fields 



ploughing, he would let the horse rest at the end of a long 
furrow and Lincoln would then draw from his pocket a 
piece of smoothly planed wood ; this was his slate and his 
pencil would be a piece of soapstone or clay. 

Lincoln's love for his mother inspired him to do many 
good deeds, but in 1818 a terrible disease made its appear- 
ance in their settlement, and Mrs. Lincoln, weary and worn 
with the hardships of their life, bade good-by to her little 
ones, begging Abraham to remember what she had taught 
him and be a good boy. A coffin was made of lumber, 
which Mr. Lincoln cut, and under a great sycamore tree 
Abraham's mother was laid away to rest. There was no 
minister to speak words of comfort and this grieved Abra- 
ham, who knew how his mother loved God. He deter- 
mined to have a funeral service for her. He knew of a 
minister who traveled about the country, so he tried to put 
his thoughts on paper, and at last was satisfied with the 
letter begging the minister to come and deliver a sermon 
over her grave. 

Many weeks and months passed, but one bright day the 
minister came. He had ridden one hundred miles on 
horse-back, forded swollen streams and followed narrow 
paths through the wilderness to comfort this little nine-year- 
old boy. Friends gathered about the lonely grave, sweet 
hymns were sung and Lincoln never forgot that day. From 
that time he determined to be a good and noble man. His 
mother had taught him to be true and honest and he would 
always remember her wish. 

Years afterward, when he became a great man, he said, 
"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." 

The books within his reach were few. Best of all was the 



8 

Bible, that library of sixty-six volumes; then there were 
"./Esop's Fables," that wise book of character, " Robinson 
Crusoe," and "Pilgrim's Progress," the English classic. 
These he read until the last ember went out on the hearth, 
and read again as soon as the earliest rays of the morning 
sun lit up the log cabin loft where he slept. 

Neighbors of his owned other books and these he bor- 
rowed. "He read through every book he had heard of in 
that country, for a circuit of fifty miles," said one writer. 
A History of the United States and Weems' " Life of Wash- 
ington," laid the foundation of his political aspirations and 
education. 

Once Lincoln borrowed of a neighbor Weems' "Life of 
Washington." He sat up late to read the book, then care- 
fully put it in an opening between two logs of the cabin 
wall. During the night the rain dripped on it. In the 
morning Lincoln Was distressed to find the precious book 
stained, but he took it to the owner at once. "I'm sorry," 
he said, "I want to fix it up with you somehow, if you can 
tell me any way, for I ain't got the money to pay for it 
with." The man saw how badly Lincoln felt and he said, 
"Come over and shuck corn three days and the book's 
yours." The boy could hardly believe this book was to be 
his own. He felt as happy as if he had fallen heir to a 
fortune. 

He wished to master the principles of arithmetic but had 
no money to buy a book. He borrowed a copy of Pike's 
Arithmetic, and resolved to copy the essential parts of it. 
He sewed some sheets of paper together with a string, then 
with a quill pen copied the principal parts of the entire 
book. 



Manhood 

When seventeen this strong, ambitious boy heard a 
famous Kentucky man make a speech in court. Few things 
had ever inspired him more. From that time he practiced 
making speeches. Any question of the day, road-making, 
school tax or farm improvements, served as a subject. He 
always had many droll stories to tell and people were so 
attracted when listening to him that they forgot how homely 
and awkward the earnest young man was. He was in 
demand at every gathering for pleasure or for work. People 
knew Lincoln could be trusted with important business. 
Now it was to take a load of produce to New Orleans on a 
flat boat; again it was rail-splitting; again it was working in 
a little country store. He was always studying and work- 
ing, working and studying at anything. People knew he 
was honest. Did they not all know that a poor woman who 
lived two miles from the store once paid Lincoln six cents 
too much for her goods and when he discovered it in the 
evening, he walked off to her house and gave her the six 
cents? Yes, they all knew of it and admired the young 
man's honesty. They talked of it and respected him more 
each month. He was always upright. 

He soon began to meet a better class of people. In 
1834, when but twenty-five years old, this honest, hard 
working, roughly built frontiersman, six feet, four inches 
tall, found himself a popular man and a member of the 
Illinois State Legislature. He had studied law at every pos- 
sible moment and in 1837 he accepted an offer to enter 
into partnership with a lawyer in Springfield, Illinois. 
He soon became a recognized leader in politics. His 



IO 

speeches were always clear and effective. He never hesi- 
tated to be on the unpopular side if he knew he was for the 
right. He was ever doing his best for his people and for 
his country. Once he said, "Many free countries have 
lost their liberties, and ours may lose hers; but if she shall, 
let it be my proudest plume, not that I was the last to 
desert her, but that I never deserted her." 

Lincoln's honesty as a lawyer became universally recog- 
nized. Once when a client had carefully stated his case, 
Lincoln said, "Yes, there is no reasonable doubt that I can 
gain your case for you. I can set a whole neighborhood at 
loggerheads; I can distress a widowed mother and her six 
fatherless children, and thereby get for you six hundred dol- 
lars, which rightfully belongs, it appears to me, as much to 
the woman and her children as it does to you. You must 
remember that some things that are legally right are not 
morally right. I shall not take your case, but will give you 
a little advice for which I charge you nothing. 

"You seem to be a sprightly, energetic man. I would 
advise you to try your hand at making six hundred dollars 
some other way." 

The pioneer boy was now an influential politician. After 
being elected to the Legislature, he was sent to Congress and 
was at one time offered the governorship of Oregon. 

In i860, amid much opposition, he was elected President 
of the United States. 

Dark clouds were gathering thicker and lower over the 
nation. Great wealth and political strength were in the 
South, where on the great plantations of cotton, tobacco and 
sugar-cane, thousands of slaves were employed. 

Ill-feeling existed between the North and South. Lincoln 



II 

worked bravely for freedom and justice and bore the 
nation's heaviest burden; carried the nation's sorrows. 
Around him were the horrors of war, southern states uniting 
and claiming the right to an independent government, be- 
sides envy, treachery, threatenings and sadness. Yet the 
face, while showing new lines of care, showed a heart tender, 
pitiful and loving. Burdened with the heaviest of nations' 
burdens, his faithful service, earnest desire for the country's 
best good, was ever foremost. When urged to pursue vari- 
ous courses, he said his "first object was to save the Union, 
and neither to save nor destroy slavery. If I could save the 
Union without freeing the slaves, I would do it. If I could 
save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would 
also do that." 

On January i, 1863, Lincoln proclaimed that all slaves in 
all states or parts of states then in rebellion against the 
Union should be free. 

Still the war continued, with brave generals and brave 
soldiers on each side, and again in November, 1864, the 
man, and the one man, whose tireless brain had so faithfully 
worked and wisely planned, was elected President a second 
time. Upon March 4, 1865, Lincoln made his second 
inaugural address. 

The terrible battle of Gettysburg had been fought the 
preceding July, where over fifty thousand brave men in blue 
and gray laid down their lives and victory now seemed sure 
for the Union army. Yet, in Lincoln's second inaugural 
address there was no boast, no triumph, no rejoicing over 
what had been accomplished, but earnestly, quietly the 
saddened man said in that address: 

"With malice toward none, with charity toward all, with 



12 

firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us 
strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the na- 
tion's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the 
battle, and for his widow and his orphans ; to do all which 
may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among 
ourselves and with all nations." 

Lincoln's Speeches 

Men have made speeches valuable for their quality of 
literary style, but Lincoln's speeches are distinctive, indi- 
vidual, original and by his inborn reasoning power, his 
insight into the right of all questions, he became the most 
convincing speaker of his time. His speeches have won a 
permanent place in literature. The speech at Gettysburg is 
a classic and known to all English speaking people. It is 
brief, expressive, immortal. The two inaugural addresses 
are examples of brief, clear, persuasive eloquence. 

Lincoln's Gettysburg speech was written in the car on the 
way from Washington to the battlefield — the National 
Cemetery. Lincoln held a small piece of pasteboard on 
his knee and wrote those impressive few lines while persons 
were talking about him. Edward Everett Hale, who deliv- 
ered the oration of the day, said: "I would rather be the 
author of those twenty lines than to have all the fame my 
oration of to-day can give me." 

On that memorable day in November, 1864, Lincoln, 
with bowed head, stepped out before the vast assembly, 
slowly, quietly, as if unconscious of the tens of thousands 
before him. He seemed as if with those to whose memory 
he was speaking. 



i3 

The memories, feelingly, simply told, his counsels wisely 
given, his feelings impressively uttered and prophecies so 
earnestly expressed, affected the assembly so deeply that 
they listened as to a voice divine with affection and rever- 
ence. He stood before them "an heroic figure in the 
centre of an heroic epoch." 

Death 

Five weeks after the second inaugural address, in April, 
1865, the Confederate army surrendered. The four years 
of sadness, bloodshed, devastation and sorrow were ended. 
Now, to this over-burdened man peace would take the place 
of pain and rest would come instead of pressure, but at this 
very moment of the nation's triumph, rejoicing was turned 
to grief, for, while seeking recreation at Ford's Theatre, 
Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, who, with others, 
had formed a plot for the assassination of the President, 
Vice-President, and leading members of the cabinet. 

Kind arms bore the loved, the honored President to a 
friend's house, and kind hearts, who had aided with sympa- 
thy and counsel during the long, sad years, watched by the 
bedside through the night until the morning when that 
noblest of all hearts ceased to beat. 

Messages of sorrow and sympathy came from all the world 
to the sorrowing nation, to a nation who each year more 
deeply reveres the memory of him whose legacy was peace 
to his country, liberty to the enslaved, and an inspiring 
example of patriotism to the world. 



Lincoln's Birthday 

A. Douglass 

Suggestive Material to Use in Working up a 
Program 

Preparatory Work in Language 

From whatever side of the life of Lincoln the teacher 
wishes to have her class see him she may choose lan- 
guage work. 

" Lincoln the President" suggests these subjects: 
Opportunities which he created. 
Steps in his life which made him a leader. 

"Lincoln the Emancipator." 
Men who worked with him. 
Men for whom he worked. 
Colored schools to-day. 
The Union as he left it. 
The old Flag. 

"Lincoln the Man." 
His opportunity. 
His kindness. 
14 



i5 

"Memorials to Lincoln." 
Famous statues of him. 
St. Gaudens, the sculptor. 
Famous pictures of Lincoln. 
Marshall, the painter. 
Monuments to Lincoln's memory. 
Observation of birthday by the negroes. 
Observation of birthday in the schools. 

Literature 

Pupils memorize "Gettysburg Speech." 
Pupils read one reply to "Douglas Speech." 
Pupils memorize Whitman's "My Captain." 
Pupils memorize Stoddard's "Birthday of Lincoln." 

Songs 

Children learn 

"Rally Round the Flag." 
"Battle Hymn of the Republic." 

Pictures 

Marshall's Lincoln. 

St. Gaudens' Lincoln Statue, Chicago. 

Log Cabin. 

White House. 

Gettysburg Speech. 

Proclamation. 

Proclamation Group, Boston. 

Lincoln and His Family. 

Lincoln and Little Tad. 



i6 

Books and Articles jor Children to Use in Room 

Life of Lincoln. Nicolay and Hay. 
Life of Lincoln. Holland. 
National Encyclopaedia of American Biography. 
Place of Lincoln in History. Century Magazine. 
Close of His Career. Brooks, Century Magazine. 
Biographers of Lincoln. Century Magazine. 
Lincoln as a Literary Man. Mabie, Outlook. 
Portraits of Lincoln. McClurtfs Magazine. 
Encyclopaedia of Modern Eloquence. (In index, 
many opinions of Lincoln.) 

Souvenirs or Book Covers. 

Log cabin. 

Pen and proclamation. 
Chains and open cuff. 
Quotations from Speeches. 



Program for Birthday 

" Gettysburg Speech" Class 

"America" Class 

"What Statues of Lincoln Mean 

to Us" o . . Compositions by two pupils 
Poem, "My Captain" .... Class 

"Memorials to Lincoln ? ' . . . Best paper read 

" Birthday of Lincoln " . . . Child recites 

"Lincoln the Man" . . . Best paper read 



17 

''Battle Hymn of the Republic" . . . Class 

Giving of Souvenirs. 

Have pictures arranged carefully* 

Have two flags over the framed Gettysburg Speech. 



A Lincoln Exercise 

Alice E. Allen 

God make us worthy of the memory of Abraham 
Lincoln. 

— Phillips Brooks 

(A picture of Lincoln prettily draped with flags should 
occupy central position. Room may be otherwise deco- 
rated if desired. The above quotation is suggested as a 
suitable motto. It may be made of green or gilt letters, 
and placed where all can see it, or the school may recite it 
in concert at the close of the first exercise.) 

Song 

First and last verses of "America," by the whole school. 

(Enter seven small boys, each carrying large letter o) 
bright red paper) 

All recite (may be sung, if desired, to tune oj " Yankee 
Doodle") 

We're seven boys of seven kinds, 
Each brings a bright red letter; 

We've much to say this holiday, 
That all may love it better. 
18 



19 

First (stepping forward and holding out letter) 

This "L" is a big one, but means "little lad," 
And also " log-hut," the first home that he had. 

Second (as above) 

To him "I" meant " Indians" — many were near, 
But still in the forest he played without fear. 

Third 

" N " says there were no schools, like ours, for small boys, 
And tells of no games and no fun and no toys. 

Fourth 

My "C" means his cap. 'Twas the funniest kind — 
'Twas made out of coon -skin — the tail hung behind. 

Fifth 

This round "O" says older and older he grew, 
A strong little fellow, quite honest and true. 

Sixth 

My "L" tells of lessons he liked and he learned, 
And then how the love of all people he earned. 

Seventh 

My "N" means the " Nation" so great and so grand 
He ruled when a man — our own noble land. 



20 

All (recite or sing) 

We're seven boys of seven kinds, 
Each one has shown his letter, 

And said his say upon this day, 
That all may love it better. 

Beginning with the first each tijts his letter high and 
names it clearly. Ajter the seventh has named his, all 
pronounce 

LINCOLN 

The whole school may now recite the motto at the begin- 
ning of the exercise. 



Lincoln's Birthday 

Alice E. Allen 

It is well to begin preparations several weeks in advance 
for a simple observance of Lincoln's Birthday. If there 
are any children to whom Lincoln is but a name, now is 
the time to bring them into real contact with his strong 
personality. 

Begin the study of Lincoln's life in the little log cabin in 
the clearing. Make his home as real as may be. Let the 
children read his books, do his work, think his thoughts, 
and plan his plans. Follow him through his boyhood and 
early manhood to the White House. Live over again the 
troublous but glorious days which followed. In connec- 
tion with his death, teach the children "My Captain." 
(Walt Whitman.) 

Do not fear that too much time will be spent in this way 
upon the study of Lincoln. His life — one of the grandest 
History can ever give — cannot fail to leave its ineffaceable 
impress upon all lives which come in close touch with it, 
making them purer, nobler, stronger. Let the children 
have it, then, for one of their most precious possessions. 
Let them know not merely facts about Lincoln — let them 
know Lincoln himself. 

Having made much of this study, a simple and pleasing 
program for Lincoln's Birthday can be quickly arranged. 



22 



Use the national colors and national songs freely. Let all 
the music used be strongly patriotic. 

Let the history class give the life of Lincoln — different 
ones presenting in story form brief, bright bits here and 
there. Select, so far as possible, the more dramatic scenes 
that the smaller children may easily illustrate them by 
pantomime or tableaux. 



Story Time 

Perhaps the interior of the cabin can be represented 
simply in one corner of the stage. Use a fur robe for one 
wall. Make, if possible, a fire-place on the other. Let the 
furniture be homely and poor. Show Lincoln and his 
mother and sister before the fire — the mother telling, the 
children listening to, stories. 



Log Cabin Acrostic 

From the following suggestions, arrange an acrostic for 
the smaller children. Let them cut from heavy brown pa- 
per, log cabins of suitable size to show off well. Paint 
them to show logs, door, etc. On each cabin fasten a 
white paper letter — the letters spelling LINCOLN. The 
children, each carrying log cabin, march to places. As each 
shows his log cabin, he recites one of the following quota- 
tions, selected from the sayings of Lincoln. At the close 
of recitations, all sing first stanza of " America." 



23 

Quotations 

Let none falter who thinks he is right. 

/ know the Lord is on the side of right, but it is my con- 
stant anxiety and prayer that I and this Nation should 
be on the Lord's side. 

No man is good enough to govern another man without that 
other's consent. 

Come what will, I will keep my faith with friend and foe. 

On that name a eulogy is expected. It cannot be. To add 
brightness to the sun or glory to the name of Washing- 
ton is alike impossible. 

Let us make up our mind that when we do put a new star 
upon our banner, it shall be a fixed one. 

No where in the world is presented a Government of so 
much liberty and equality. 



Star Drill and March 

Place a large picture of Lincoln on an easel on stage in 
convenient position so that children can drill at back or 
each side of it. Let girls wear sashes of red, white and 
blue, diagonally over one shoulder, tied loosely at side. 



24 

Each carries a large star, matching sash in color, red, white 
and blue. 

There should be at least twelve girls. Across back of 
star, fasten strip of stout paper, or cloth, just loose enough 
so that the child's hand will slip through. Each girl carries 
star in right hand. To music of "Red, White and Blue," 
girls march to stage, take positions, and sing to music of 
chorus, stars held high in front : 

"Three cheers for the stars of our flag, 
Three cheers for the stars of our flag, 
The crown of our glorious country — 
Three cheers for the stars of our flag." 

At close, to music of verse, give any drill with stars, first 
set of motions with red; second, with white; third, with 
blue; fourth, all together. Make as elaborate and pictu- 
resque as desired, introducing pretty effects. Sing chorus 
each time, children artistically posed with stars. Close drill 
with march, during which, children may place stars about 
Lincoln's picture. (Use flags if preferable.) 

A Stump Speech 

Arrange a large stump in centre of stage. A boy, as 
Lincoln, stands upon it, hand raised as if making a speech. 
Other boys crowd about him, in attitudes of listening, clap- 
ping hands, tossing caps, etc. 

Other tableaux will doubtlessly suggest themselves to 
teachers or pupils. If inconvenient to arrange them, sketch 



25 

a series of pictures on the blackboard, naming them 
" Scenes from the Life of Lincoln." 



Concert Recitation 

To soft accompaniment of minor music, let whole school, 
or selected pupils, give the first four lines of each stanza of 
"My Captain." Choose an excellent reader to give last 
four lines. The entire poem should be rendered reverently. 

(If desirable to give this as a song, it may be found, set 
to music, in the " Riverside Song Book.") 

Tiny log cabins, rafts, stars, flags, or any appropriate de- 
signs, with " Lincoln's Birthday, 1909," written on them, 
may be given to each child, as souvenirs. 



A Lincoln Exercise 

(School sings one or two verses of "America" while two 
pupils remove the covering — a flag — from the picture of 
Lincoln.) 

School recites 

Abraham Lincoln, the "saviour of our country," was 
born in Hardin County, Kentucky, February 12, 1809. 

Number oj girls recite 

Wandering in Book-land 

Not long ago 
We learned many things 

You will want to know. 



First 



I saw Kentucky's forests, with rude 

Cabins here and there; 
With people passing from them 

Burdened with homely care; 
Looking honest, simple hearted, 

Unlearned and sadly poor. 
By one of these homes — the humblest 
26 



2 7 

A child sits at the door, 
Or plays about in the sunshine, 

Or does some household " chore"; 
A child with eager eyes, 

And thoughtful, questioning face; 
How sad that such as he must dwell 

In such a dreary place. 

Second 

Wandering at times in the woodlands 

That neighbor the cabin door, 
He hears low voices calling 

That becken him evermore: 
Do they come from the tree tops yonder, 

Or the leaves there in the glen ? 
Or from his own heart? 

He knows not ; but again and yet again 
The words come softly to him 
As the rustle of the angels' wings. 

Voices 

"Come higher, child, come higher; 
ThouWt bom jor better things." 

Third 

I saw him farther west 

In a rough hewn cabin still, 
Which his childish hands helped fashion, 

Working away with a will. 



28 

Fourth 

See, when his farmer's toil is over 
He is patiently learning to read; 
While the firelight gleams bright prophecies 

Above the low bent head. 
Hark! from the blazing hearth — there 
Again the low voice sings: 
"Come higher, child, come higher; 
Thou'rt born for better things." 

Fifth 

When I saw him he was older, 

Still reading with air of a sage. 
I peeping over his shoulder 

Read Law on the title page. 
In his narrow office I leave him 

While deep in his heart a voice sings: 
"Come higher yet," etc. 

(Let these last words be softly repeated by one or more pupils behind 
a screen.) 

Number oj small boys 

We are little Whys. 

Number oj small girls 

We are the Becauses. 
We'll answer all your questions 
In shortest words and clauses. 
First boy 

Why did they call him a rail splitter? 



20 

First girl 

Because he split the rails to fence his father's farm. 

Second boy 

Why did he do such work as that if he meant to be a 
great man ? 

Second girl 

Because he knew he would not be truly great unless he 
helped his parents before he helped himself. 

Third boy 
Why did he not go to school if he was so anxious to learn ? 

Third girl 

Because his parents could afford to send him only six 
months. 

Fourth boy 

Why was he always so sure of what he had learned ? 

Fourth girl 

Because he studied the few books he had, the Bible, 
Pilgrim's Progress and a few others, over and over again. 
He always studied upon one thing until he had mastered it. 

Fifth boy 
Why did everyone love him? 



30 

Fifth girl 

Because he was always polite, kind and unselfish. 

Very little girl or boy 

I love him more for this 

Than for all else he did or learned : 
He made a nice home for his mother 

With the very first money he earned. 
All the boys who have just spoken, 
Now tell us the secret of his success 
Who became so great and good. 



Girls 



Voices 



He did in all things great or small 
The very best he could. 



Higher and higher he mounts 
But still the low voice sings: 

One or two voices 

"Come higher, etc." 

(Here the date 1858 or 9 in large gilt figures is placed in 
front of a screen. The screen is then removed to one side 
showing tableau: a figure representing Freedom kneels 
and weeps at the feet of a second figure representing Slavery 
and holding heavy chains.) 



3i 

School 

Quelled Freedom weeps, while Slavery mocks 
Her piteous cries; and clanks his hideous chains. 

School {first division) 

Is there no voice that dares to boldly shout 
Against this wrong? 

Second division 

Yes, hark to the voice of Lincoln. 

Boy declaims 

"Slavery is founded in the selfishness of man's nature 
— opposition to it in his love of justice. These principles 
are an eternal antagonism; and when brought into collision 
so fiercely as slavery extension brings them, shocks and 
throes and convulsions must ceaselessly follow." 

"Little by little but steadily as man's march to the grave, 
we have been giving up the old for the new faith. Nearly 
eighty years ago we began by declaring that all men are 
created equal; but now from that beginning we have run 
down to the other declaration that for some men to enslave 
others is the ' sacred right of self-government.' These prin- 
ciples cannot stand together. They are opposite as God 
and mammon." 

"Our Republican robe is soiled and trailed in the dust. 
Let us repurify it. Let us turn and wash it white, in the 



32 

spirit if not the blood of the Revolution. Let us turn 
slavery from its claims of 'moral right,' back upon its 
existing legal rights, and its arguments of 'necessity.' Let 
us return it to the position our fathers gave it, and there 
let it rest in peace." 

Let North and South — let all Americans — let all lovers 
of liberty everywhere — join in the great and good work. 
If we do this, we shall not only have saved the Union, but 
we shall have so saved it, so as to make and to keep it 
forever worthy of the saving. We shall have so saved it 
that the succeeding millions of free, happy people, the world 
over, shall rise up and call us blessed to the latest genera- 
tions. 

(Date March, 1861, is shown.) 

School 

Whose form is that ascending 

The steps to the President's chair 
While shout after shout from the people 

Joyously rend the air? 
"Our President! Abraham Lincoln." 
Hear them lovingly speak his name 
The farmer boy has mounted 
To highest honor and fame. 

School 

His voice sounds again for the right. 

(Quotations are made from the Emancipation Proclama- 
tion.) 



33. 

School quotes 

"Odark, sad millions, patiently and dumb, 
Waiting for God, your hour, at last, has come." 

(A tableau is here shown having been previously arranged 
behind a screen. A figure representing Freedom, arisen 
from kneeling position and reaching forth her hand as if to 
take the chains from a second figure (Slavery), occupies 
the foreground ; a dark figure indistinctly seen, representing 
War, is seen in the background.) 

School 

Now Freedom has uprisen and would tear 
The cruel chains away; while threat'ning war 
Frowns sternly in the distance. 

School 

East, West and North the shout is heard 

Of freemen rising for the right; 
Each valley has its rallying word, 

Each hill its signal light." 

School (first division) 

What hand is that upraised above the throng? 

School (second division) 

A hand so free from guiltiness 
A wrathful God had deemed it fit against a 
mighty wrong 



34 

To hurl His thunderbolts. 
See what it has wrought; 
The hand of Lincoln. 

Tableau — Freedom with the Angels, Hope and Peace, 
on either side of her. 

School 

Now walk with conquering Freedom, Hope and 
Peace. 
" Bow down, dear land, for thou hast found release." 

(Figure representing America kneels while the school 
sings the hymn of Bryant's beginning :) 

North, with all thy vales of green ! 
O South, with all thy palms! 

From peopled towns and fields between 
Uplift the voice of psalms. 

Girl recites 

1 see him again, he gazes 
Upon a brilliant throng; 

Does he hear above its murmur 
A voice singing clear and strong? 



Voice 



"Come higher yet, come higher, 
Thou'rt born for better things." 



35 

Boy recites 

One moment more and a bullet 

Had silenced the mightiest heart 
That ever bled for the nation. 

There is wailing and woe for her part. 

(If thought best a pupil may here read a short selection 
from Whitman's " Lincoln's Burial Hymn.") 

School 

Near his old home at Springfield, 

With a "mountain of marble" above, 
They buried our martyred hero, 

While heartfelt grief and love 
Of the rich and poor of the nation 

Are ringing his funeral knell, 
And piling a monument for him 

Higher than mortal can tell. 

Boys 

Quotations from Lowell's "Commemoration Ode." 

Girls (two or more) 

We sought in the poet's pages, 
We sought in the orator's store, 
And in the wise words of sages 
For word or clause so grand 
It should send his praises ringing 
Loudly from land to land. 



36 

We sought in vain for one able 
To tell his greatness or fame 
Till we found this one oft spoken 
But glorious word — his name — 

(Girls place name with dates of his birth and death 
beneath his picture.) 

Boy 

What he said of Washington applies to himself. 

School 

Washington (Lincoln) is the mightiest name of earth — 
long since mightiest in the cause of civil liberty; still 
mightiest in moral reformation . On that name no eulogy 
is expected. It cannot be. To add brightness to the sun 
or glory to the name of Washington (Lincoln) is alike 
impossible. Let none attempt it. In solemn awe pro- 
nounce the name, and in its naked deathless splendor 
leave it shining on. 



For Lincoln's Birthday 

Arranged by Inez N. McFee 

Hints on Decoration 

Have a large portrait of Lincoln, draped with the na- 
tional colors, placed in a prominent position. Use flags 
for draping the walls. Tiny flags and rosettes of red, 
white, and blue may be made by the small children for 
busy work. Small pictures, descriptive of Lincoln's life, 
may be arranged attractively. 

Program 

Song. Patriotic. 

Quotations from Lincoln. 

Recitation. "Lincoln." 

Acrostic. "Lincoln." 

Reading. "Little Blossom and President Lincoln." 

Song. "Freedom's Martyred Chief" (Golden Glees). 

Exercise. "Ten Dates in the Life of Lincoln." 

Recitation. "When Lincoln Died." 

Exercise. " Crowning Lincoln." 

Anecdotes of Lincoln. 

Reading. "Lincoln's Gettysburg Address." 

Song. "America." 

37 



38 

Words of Lincoln 

"Gold is good in its place; but living, patriotic men are 
better than gold." 

"God must like common people, or He would not have 
made so many." 

"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people 
who inhabit it." 

"Let us have that faith that right makes might, and in 
that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we 
understand it." 

"The reasonable man has long since agreed that intem- 
perance is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all evils 
among mankind." 

"The purposes of the Almighty are perfect and must 
prevail, though we erring mortals may fail to accurately 
perceive them in advance." 

"A nation may be said to consist of its territory, its 
people, and its laws." 



Lincoln 

With life unsullied from his youth, 

He meekly took the ruler's rod, 
And, wielding it in love and truth, 

He lived, the noblest work of God. 
He knew no fierce, unbalanced zeal, 

That spurns all human differings, 
Nor craven fear that shuns the steel 

That carves the way to better things. 



39 

And in the night of blood and grief, 

When horror rested on the ark, 
His was the calm, undimmed belief 

That felt God's presence in the dark; 
Full well he knew each wandering star, 

That once had decked the azure dome 
Would tremble through the clouds of War, 

And, like a prodigal, come home. 

He perished ere the angel Peace 

Had rolled war's curtains from the sky, 
But he shall live when wars shall cease — 

The good and great can never die; 
For though his heart lies cold and still 

We feel its beatings warm and grand, 
And still his spirit pulses thrill 

Through all the councils of the land. 

Oh, for the hosts that sleep to-day, 

Lulled by the sound of Southern waves; 
The sun that lit them in the fray 

Now warms the flowers upon their graves 
Sweet flowers that speak like words of love 

Between the forms of friend and foe, 
Perchance their spirits meet above, 

Who crossed their battle-blades below. 

'Twas not in vain the deluge came, 

And systems crumbled in the gloom, 
And not in vain have sword and flame 



4o 
Robbed home and heart of life and bloom 



The mourner's cross, the martyr's blood, 
Shall crown the world with holier rights, 

And slavery's storm, and slavery's flood 
Leave Freedom's ark on loftier heights. 

— James G. Clark 



When Lincoln Died 

When Lincoln died, a universal grief 
Went round the earth. Men loved him in that hour, 
The North her leader lost ; the South, her friend ; 
The nation lost its saviour; and the slave 
Lost his deliverer, the most of all. 
O, there was sorrow 'mid the humble poor, 
When Lincoln died. 



When Lincoln died, a great soul passed from earth. 
In him were strength and gentleness so mixed 
That each upheld the other. He was firm; 
And yet was kind, as tender as a child, 
And yet as iron-willed as Hercules. 
His power was almost limitless, and yet 
His mercy was as boundless as his power. 
And he was jovial, laughter- loving, still 
His heart was ever torn with suffering, 
There was divine compassion in the man; 
A God-like love and pity for his race. 
The world saw the full measure of that love, 
When Lincoln died. 



4i 

When Lincoln died, a type was lost to men. 
The earth has had her conquerors, and kings, 
And many of the common great, through all, 
She only had one Lincoln. There are none 
Like him in all the annals of the past. 
He was the growth of our new soil; the child 
Of our new time; he was American; 
Was of the people, from the lowest rank, 
And yet he scaled with ease the highest height. 
Mankind one of its few immortals lost, 
When Lincoln died. 

When Lincoln died, it seemed a Providence, . 

For he appeared as one sent for a work, 

Whom, when that work was done, God summoned 

home. 
He led a splendid fight for liberty; 
And when the shackles fell, the land was saved, 
He laid his armor by and sought his rest. 
A glory sent from heaven, covered him, 

When Lincoln died. — J. A. Edgerton 

Ten Dates in the Life of Lincoln 

(Each child carries a bright red card with dates oj tinsel 
pasted upon them. Presents card to view as he recites) 

1809 
In eighteen hundred and nine, 

One February morn, 
In far-away Kentucky, 

Abraham Lincoln was born. 



42 



1 828 

In eighteen hundred and twenty-eight, 

The brave and active youth 
Became a careful flatboatsman, 

And pursued this trade with truth. 

1831 

In eighteen hundred and thirty-one, 
As a clerk in a country store, 

He earned the name of " Honest Abe," 
Which clung to him evermore. 

1832 

In eighteen hundred thirty-two, 

He joined as volunteer, 
And as captain in the Black Hawk War, 

He was loyal and knew no fear. 

1834 
In eighteen hundred thirty-four, 

He walked one hundred miles 
To take his legislative seat — 

We read his triumphs with smiles. 

1842 

In eighteen hundred forty-two, 

This true son of the sod, 
Won for his own a lady fair — 

Miss Mary Todd. 



43 



i8 5 8 

In eighteen hundred fifty-eight, 

In memorable debate, 
The " Little Giant" was defeated, 

So histories relate. 

1861 

In eighteen hundred sixty-one, 
His country needed his care 

And called her trusted friend to fill 
The Presidential chair. 

1862 

In eighteen hundred sixty-two, 
Mr. Lincoln freed the slaves, 

And won for himself a crown of glory 
Which monuments his grave. 

1865 

In eighteen hundred sixty-five, 

Amidst the nation's grief, 
Our martyr President was laid to rest 

His great joy was brief. 



44 

Crowning Lincoln 

(Four pupils march in, singing the j allowing words to air 
"America") 

We march with hearts so true, 
Our tributes to renew 

To heroes dear; 
Their lives we emulate, 
We crown them good and great. 
Each year we celebrate 

Their lives so dear. 

(A pupil, with a wreath oj evergreens, steps forward to the 
picture oj Lincoln) 

O, Lincoln! Great, and wise and good, 

Our gratitude to thee is due; 
A man beloved and understood, 

So just, so loyal, and so true! 

Struggling, striving, pushing onward, 
Ever doing what seemed best ; 

Guiding, guarding, planning union, 
Peace, and love, and rest. 

So now our Lincoln I would crown, 

With evergreens so fair; 
And may his name forever live, 

Our love for him declare. 



45 

All (with school )repeat 

And ever anew our hearts shall love 
His glorious deeds, his life, his name; 

And ever anew our voices sing, 
In loyal praise, our hero's fame. 

— Selected 



Lincoln's Gettysburg Address 

Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth 
upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and 
dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 
Now, we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether 
that nation — or any nation so conceived and so established 
— can long endure. 

We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We are 
met to dedicate a portion of it as the final resting-place of 
those who have given their lives that the nation might live. 
It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. 

But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot con- 
secrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, 
living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it 
far above our power to add to or to detract. The world 
will very little note nor long remember what we say here; 
but it can never forget what they did here. 

It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated, here, to the 
unfinished work that they have thus far so nobly carried on. 
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task 
remaining before us; that from those honored dead we take 
increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave 



46 

the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly 
resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that 
the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom, 
and that government of the people, by the people, for the 
people, shall not perish from the earth. 



Little Blossom and President Lincoln 

"Well, my little child," he said, in his pleasant, cheerful 
tone, "what do you want so bright and early in the morn- 
ing?" 

" Bennie's life, please, sir, " faltered Blossom. 

"Bennie? WhoisBennie?" 

' ' My brother, sir. They are going to shoot him for sleep- 
ing at his post." 

"Oh, yes;" and Mr. Lincoln ran his eye over the papers 
before him. "I remember. It was a fatal sleep. You 
see, child, it was a time of special danger. Thousands of 
lives might have been lost for his culpable negligence." 

"So my father said," replied Blossom, gravely; "but 
poor Bennie was so tired, and Jemmie so weak. He did 
the work of two, sir, and it was Jemmie's night, not his; 
but Jemmie was too tired, and Bennie never thought about 
himself, that he was tired, too." 

"What is this you say, child? Come here; I do not 
understand," and the kind man caught eagerly, as ever, at 
what seemed to be a justification of an offense. 

Blossom went to him; he put his hand tenderly on her 
shoulder, and turned up the pale, anxious face toward his. 
How tall he seemed! and he was President of the United 



47 

States, too. But Blossom told her simple and straightfor- 
ward story, and handed Mr. Lincoln Bennie's letter to read. 

He read it carefully; then, taking up his pen, wrote a 
few hasty lines, and rang his bell. 

Blossom heard this order given: "Send this dispatch 
at once." 

The President then turned to the girl, and said, "Go 
home, my child, and tell that father of yours, who could 
approve his country's sentence, even when it took the life 
of a child like that, that Abraham Lincoln thinks the life far 
too precious to be lost. Go back, or — wait until to-mor- 
row; Bennie will need a change after he has so bravely 
faced death ; he shall go with you." 

"God bless you, sir," said Blossom; and who shall doubt 
that God heard and registered the request ? 

Two days after this interview the young soldier came to 
the White House with his little sister. He was called into 
the President's private room, and a strap fastened upon his 
shoulder. Mr. Lincoln then said, "The soldier that could 
carry a sick comrade's baggage, and die for the act so 
uncomplainingly, deserves well of his country." Then 
Bennie and Blossom took their way to their Green Moun- 
tain home. A crowd gathered at the Mill depot to welcome 
them back; and as Farmer Owen's hand grasped that of 
his boy, tears flowed down his cheeks, and he was heard to 
say fervently, "The Lord be praised I" 

— Selected 



48 
Lincoln 

(Acrostic) 

Lincoln was the nation's defender. 

I have often heard him called the Saviour of his Country. 

iVext to Washington, the father of our country, stands 

Lincoln, our martyr President. 
Come and listen to the stories we have to tell 
Of his honest, patient, unselfish devotion to his country. 
Lincoln stands out on the pages of his country's history 

grand, unique, and peculiar. 
Never will the nation forget how he preserved the union. 

All (each one names his letter, then all pronounce) 

Lincoln 

We love to speak thy name 
And thy great deeds proclaim 

By valor won. 
We love to gather here 
To hold thy memory dear, 
Thy glorious name revere, 

Abraham Lincoln. 



Abraham Lincoln 

M. Lizzie Stanley 

(If convenient procure a large picture of Lincoln and 
drape around it the United States flag. Beneath it place 
the date of his birth, February 12, 1809. A stencil portrait 
for reproduction on the blackboard may be obtained of the 
Educational Publishing Company, Boston. Price, 5 cents.) 



Voice 



Who guided our noble ship of State 
Through crimson seas of strife? 

Who saved it from the rocks of fate, 
And waves that sought its life ? 

Who stood so nobly at the helm 
Through voyage four years long? 

When dangers threatened to o'erwhelm, 
Who kept his courage strong? 

And when our gallant ship of State 

Into safe harbor sailed, 
What name in all the land was great, 

With joyous honors hailed ? 

49 



50 

All 

We know the name. We know it well. 
With gratitude our hearts now swell, 
As Abraham Lincoln's name we tell. 



(Enter one o\ the older boys, dressed as an elderly man, 
with hat and wig, and long coat or cloak. Inside the door 
he stops and speaks) 

Old gentleman 

Dear boys and girls, I'm growing old, 

Perchance you'll think I'm over-bold, 

But as I passed along the way, 

I heard young voices "Lincoln" say. 

That name ! It took me down the years, 

And to mine eyes it brought the tears, 

For I knew Lincoln, knew his life 

All through that four years' bloody strife, 

And many things my lips could tell, 

Which would his praises only swell, 

But I have interrupted you, I fear, 

And I would fain your youthful voices hear. 

I'll take a seat and list to you, 

And add a word when you get through. 



Voice 



A wreath to Lincoln's memory let us twine, 

A wreath of words — and each must bring a line. 



5i 



First scholar 



I'll bring this thought — a self-made man was he. 
For him that forms a strong and earnest plea. 

Second scholar 

Could old Kentucky's pines but find a tongue, 
They'd tell how very poor he was when young. 

Third scholar 

O boys, just think, and thinking drop a tear! 
His schooling all amounted to one year. 

Fourth scholar 

His books were few, but those he read 
Till pages off by heart he said. 

Fifth scholar 

He entered every open door, 

First worked a farm, then tended store. 

Sixth scholar 

A flat-boat with its freighted store 

He sailed adown the river to the shore. 

Seventh scholar 

Of "Honest Abe" he earned the name, 
And justly could the title claim. 



52 

Eighth scholar 

The temperance cause he made his own, 
And stood for temperance, though alone. 

Ninth scholar 

A lawyer's life at length chose he, 
And mastered argument and plea. 

Tenth scholar 

While legal matters he was weighing, 
He paid his way by land surveying. 

Eleventh scholar 

The fourth of March in eighteen sixty -one, 
His term as President he then begun. 

Tweljth scholar 

From backwoods to the White House chair! 
What contrast doth one short life bear! 

Thirteenth scholar 

He scarce had taken there his seat, 
Ere drum of war began to beat. 

Fourteenth scholar 

All through that four years' civil war, 
He lived and worked his country for. 



53 

Fifteenth scholar 

Whate'er the faults in his life-plan, 
He was a truly great, good man. 

Sixteenth scholar 

In heart and aim with all his people one, 
He loved them as a father might have done. 

Seventeenth scholar 

Great-hearted, patient, honest soul! 
Thy name shall live while centuries roll. 

Old gentleman (rises and speaks) 

Just here let me a story tell 
Of Lincoln, whom I knew so well, 
'Twill serve perchance to set apart 
The memory of that tender heart. 



The Story 

'Twas in the war-time's early days, 
When eyes looked forth with anxious gaze, 
A young lad had been doomed to die, 
And would'st thou know the reason why? 

He had been placed as sentinel, 
And at his post asleep he fell, 
And for that closing of his eyes, 
Before him dreamless slumber lies. 



54 

The President read the sentence through, 
And murmured "The act I cannot do. 
Brought up on a farm, at work late kept. 
Poor boy! No wonder that he slept." 

And o'er the paper he drew his pen, 
And signed his pardon there and then. 
Great-hearted man! Shall I unfold 
What later on the sequel told ? 

At Fredericksburg, among the slain, 
A lad beyond all mortal pain. 
Was lying by himself apart 
A picture next his youthful heart. 

Twas Lincoln's picture that he wore, 
And just beneath these words it bore — 
"God bless Abraham Lincoln." Thus he showed 
The debt of love to him he owed. 



Eighteenth scholar 

On January first of eighteen sixty-three, 
Four million slaves by him were then set free. 



Nineteenth scholar 

He was the black man's truest friend, 
And they will love him to the end. 



55 

Twentieth scholar 

Four years of service, another begun, 

And peace for the Union at length was won. 



Twenty-first scholar 

The song of peace doth scarce begin to swell, 
When 'neath assassin's hand our Lincoln fell. 



Twenty-second scholar 

And then was mourning deep, wide-spread, 
For that great heart a lying dead. 

Twenty-third scholar 

All through the North the sad bells tolled, 
And over the land a sadness rolled. 

Twenty-fourth scholar 

They bore him back to his native soil, 
The President, born a son of toil. 



All 



O'er Lincoln's name there hangs a glory, 
Born not of song, and not of glory, 
But in his simple, honest worth 
His greatness had its only birth. 



56 

Old gentleman {speaks) 

Children, one word and then I'll go my way, 
I've much enjoyed this time with you to-day. 
This lesson learn from Lincoln all — 
You may be in the world's eyes small, 
But follow truth and follow right, 
And you may mount to any height. 
Some one of you may President be one day, 
Within the time that seems so far away — 
As I go forth I fain would hear 
The name of Lincoln in mine ear. 

(Passes out) 



All 



Lincoln 1 We love the household name. 
Thou'rt lost to earth, but not to fame. 
And now for our Union grand and free, 
Let us give cheers one, two, and three — 
Hurrah! Hurrah!! Hurrah!!! 



An Afternoon with Lincoln 

(This exercise will require little preparation save cutting 
out these selections and pasting them on cards, so that the 
children to whom they are assigned may read them over 
beforehand.) 

A Girl 

Reads a description of Lincoln's birthplace from any 
history available. 

A Large Boy (reads the following from Webster) 

A man who is not ashamed of himself need not be 
ashamed of his early condition. It did not happen to me 
to be born in a log-cabin, but my elder brothers and sisters 
were born in a log-cabin, raised amid the snowdrifts of 
New Hampshire, at a period so early that, when the smoke 
rose from its rude chimney and curled over the frozen 
hills, there was no similar evidence of a white man's 
habitation between it and the settlements on the rivers 
of Canada. Its remains still exist. I make to it an an- 
nual visit. I carry my children to it, to teach them the 
hardships endured by the generations that have gone 
before them. I mourn to think that none of those who 
inhabited it are now among the living; and if ever I am 
ashamed of it or if I ever fail in affectionate veneration 
for him who reared it, and defended it against savage 

57 



58 

violence and destruction, cherished all the domestic 
virtues beneath its roof, and . . . shrank from 
no danger, no toil, no sacrifice, to serve his country, and 
to raise his children to a condition better than his own, 
may my name and the name of my posterity be blotted 
forever from the memory of mankind. 

(A child who can draw sketches rapidly a picture o) 
Lincoln's birthplace on the board, while the foregoing 
is being read.) 

A Girl 

Here is a story that illustrates one of these virtues. 
When he was practising law, one of his clients wanted 
him to win an unjust case for him. "Yes," said Lin- 
coln, "there is no reasonable doubt but I can gain your 
case for you. I can set a whole neighborhood at logger- 
heads; I can distress a widowed mother and her six 
fatherless children, and thereby gain for you six hundred 
dollars, which rightfully belongs, it appears to me, as 
much to them as it does to you. I shall not take your 
case, but I will give you a little advice for nothing. You 
seem a sprightly, energetic man ; I would advise you to 
try your hand at making six hundred dollars in some 
other way." 

A Boy 

His advice to all young men was, "Resolve to be honest 
at all events; and if, in your own judgment, you cannot be 
an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a 
lawyer." 



59 

A Boy 

The children ought to love Lincoln, for he was always 
their friend. One day, when Lincoln was President, a 
little boy slipped into his office unseen by the doorkeeper. 
Every one was astonished at finding him there, but he 
explained that he had come a long way from the country, 
hoping to get a place as a page in the House of Representa- 
tives. The little fellow was so earnest about it that 
Lincoln could not resist his pleading face, and paused 
in his own business long enough to write to the door- 
keeper of the House: "If Captain Goodnow can give 
this good little boy a place, he will oblige A. Lincoln." 

A Girl 

It was a little girl who first persuaded Lincoln to wear 
a beard. She admired him very much, but she made up 
her mind that he would look better with a beard, and so, 
being a very little girl, she wrote and told him so. This 
was Lincoln's reply: 

"My Dear Little Miss: 

Your very agreeable letter of the fifteenth is received. I 
regret the necessity of saying I have no daughter. I have 
three sons, one seventeen, one nine, and one seven years 
of age. They, with their mother, constitute my whole 
family. As to the whiskers, never having worn any, do 
you not think people would call it a silly piece of affecta- 
tion if I were to begin now ? 

Your sincere well-wisher, 

A. Lincoln" 



6o 

Another Girl 

But he did take her advice all the same, and once, 
when his train stopped at the town where she lived, he 
asked for her in the crowd, and when she reached the 
train, he stepped from his car to kiss her and show her 
how becoming his new beard was. 

A Boy 

Nobody knows better how to talk to boys than did 
Lincoln. This is what he said to one of them: 

"The advice of a father to his son, 'Beware of entrance 
to a quarrel, but, being in, bear it, that the opposed may 
beware of thee,' is good, but not the best. Quarrel not 
at all. No man resolved to make the most of himself 
can spare time for personal contention. Still less can he 
afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating 
of his temper and the loss of self-control. Yield larger 
things to which you can show no more than equal right; 
and yield lesser ones, though clearly your own. Better 
give your path to a dog than be bitten by him in contest- 
ing for the right. Even killing the dog would not cure 
the bite." 

(A Girl reads the account oj the assassination oj Lincoln 
from a history.) 

A Boy 

Emerson says, "He is the true history of the American 
people in his time. Step by step he walked before them; 
slow with their slowness, quickening his march by theirs; 



6i 

the true representative of this continent; an entirely 
public man ; the father of his country ; the pulse of twenty 
millions throbbing in his heart." 

{Three Girls recite "My Captain' 1 ) 

O Captain, my Captain, our fearful trip is done, 

The ship has weathered every rock, the prize we sought is 

won, 
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, 
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and 

daring, 
But, O Heart! Heart! Heart! O, the bleeding drops of 

red, 
Where on the deck my Captain lies, fallen cold and dead. 

O Captain, my Captain, rise up and hear the bells, 

Rise up, for you the flag is flung, for you the bugle trills, 

For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths — for you the 

shores a-crowding, 
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager fancies 

turning, 
Here, Captain, dear father, this arm beneath your head, 
It is some dream that on the deck, you've fallen cold and 

dead. 

My Captain does not answer — his lips are pale and still, 
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will, 
My ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed 
and done, 



62 

From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object 

won. 
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells, but I, with mournful 

tread , 
Walk the deck my Captain lies, fallen cold and dead. 

— Walt Whitman 

A Boy recites 

When we come to look back into the past let us be 
generous as we look to the men, but let us never allow that 
doctrine — "it is all the same a hundred years hence" — 
to be believed in. It is not the same a hundred years 
hence It is well for us that the Union was founded as 
it was founded by Washington; it is well for us that it 
was saved as it was saved by Lincoln and his great com- 
manders. And as we think of this nation brought into 
being with much travail, saved through the expenditure 
of much precious blood, let us gird up our loins and re- 
solve that we will dedicate ourselves to the preserva- 
tion of the country which has cost us so much. The 
country that so many men have died for, is the country 
that all men may live for and may serve. 

— Henry Cabot Lodge 

School sings "America" 



A Lincoln Exercise 

Antoinette L. Canfield 

(If a teacher enters into the spirit of the exercise she 
can make these simple biographical facts form a pro- 
gram of as much interest and of exceedingly more value 
than an elaborately prepared program, requiring many 
rehearsals upon so-called "poetry" for Lincoln's birth- 
day. In this exercise every child has some part and the 
valuable story of Lincoln's life will be remembered much 
longer than in a case where the teacher simply tells the 
story. This serves as a script reading lesson and will be 
of interest because of its novelty. These paragraphs 
are to be copied on separate slips, and one given each 
pupil — assigning the longest to your most careful and 
distinct readers. A moment should be given for each to 
read silently his paragraph. Any word not known may 
be spelled by the pupil, for the teacher to write upon the 
board, and as a class exercise, or individually sounded 
or pronounced. This list will comprise the word drill for 
the day. The children reading the stories might stand 
before the class while the short paragraphs may be read 
by pupils standing beside their seats. This exercise, 
followed by the Salute to the Flag, and the singing of 
"America" will occupy about a half hour. It is suitable 

63 



64 

for a second or third grade. The value of the exercise 
might be tested on the following day by devoting the 
language period to an oral review of the same.) 

First Child ' ?£J 



Abraham Lincoln was born one hundred years ago. 
His birthday was February 12, 1809. 

Second Child 
Lincoln was born in a little log-house in the woods. 

Third Child 

Bear skins were hung across the doors and windows 
to keep out the cold. 

Fourth Child 

Little Abraham used to lie on his bed at night and 
look out between the logs at the stars. 

Fifth Child 

He slept on a bag of leaves on the floor. There was 
no upstairs to his house. 

Sixth Child 

They didn't have much to eat. Sometimes they had 
to shoot biros and animals for food. 



65 

Seventh Child 

There were no stores where Lincoln lived so his mother 
had to make his clothes. 

Eighth Child 

Once she made him a little suit out of the skin of a bear. 
He had a funny little coon-skin cap with the tail hanging 
down behind. 

Ninth Child 

He never wore stockings. Once his mother made him 
some leggings of deer-skin and some slippers of bear-skin. 

Tenth Child 

They were very poor people. His father could not 
read or write. His mother liked to read and used to teach 
Abraham. 

Eleventh Child 

Lincoln had a good mother. He loved her, and was 
always good to her. This is what his mother said about 
him. "Abraham was a good boy. He never gave me 
any trouble. He never said an unkind word to me. He 
always tried to help me." 

Twelfth Child 

When Abraham was five years old he went to school. 
He had to walk two miles to school. 



66 

Thirteenth Child 

His teacher said, "Abe was a good boy. He liked 
to study, and learned his lessons quickly." 

Fourteenth Child 

He had no pencils or paper. Sometimes he did his 
number work on a shovel with a piece of burnt wood for a 
pencil. 

Fifteenth Child 

He went to school just one year. Then he had to go 
to work and help his father. 

Sixteenth Child 

Once two men asked Abraham to row them across 
a river. They paid him two silver half dollars. This was 
the first money he had ever earned. Abraham was so 
happy that he almost cried. He felt as rich as a king. 

Seventeenth Child 

In the evening when his work was done he would 
study. 

Eighteenth Child 

They had no lamps. Abraham used to sit by the 
fireplace in the evening, and study by the light from the 
fire. 



67 

Nineteenth Child 

They had only three books in the whole house. He 
read these over and over again. 

Twentieth Child 

Once a man let Abraham take a book about Washing- 
ton. He read it night and day, and took it to bed with 
him. When he went to sleep he would put it in between 
the logs. One night there was a hard snowstorm. The 
snow came in between the logs and spoiled the book. 
Poor little Abraham almost cried. What would the man 
say, and how could he ever pay for the book! He took 
the book back to the man and showed it to him. Then 
he told what had happened. The man knew by the boy's 
honest eyes that he was telling the truth. "What can I 
do to pay for the book?" asked the boy. "Will you 
work to pay for it?" said the man. " Yes, I will do any- 
thing," answered Abraham. "Well, you may draw 
corn for me for three days," the man said; "then you 
may have the book." This was the first book Abraham 
Lincoln ever bought. 

Twenty-first Child 

Abraham Lincoln was a very strong boy. He liked 
to run and jump like other boys. 

Twenty-second Child 

Abraham liked to wrestle with the other boys, but 
he always played fair. 



68 

Twenty-third Child 

He liked to tell funny stories, and everyone liked to 
hear his stories. 

Twenty- jourth Child 

When Lincoln was a young boy his playmates used 
to like to hear him make speeches. He made very good 
speeches, and the boys would cheer him, and wave their 
hats. Once, one of the boys picked up a turtle, swung 
it around his head again and again, and then let it drop 
at Lincoln's feet. The poor turtle was badly hurt and 
his shell was broken. It could hardly move. When 
Lincoln saw it he was very angry, and said, "Who did 
that? The boy who did that is a coward!" Everyone 
knew Lincoln was right, and the boy who did it was very 
much ashamed. 

Twenty-fifth Child 

He always worked very hard. He wanted to become 
a great man. 

Twenty-sixth Child 

Abraham Lincoln was always honest. People called 
him "Honest Abe." 

Twenty-seventh Child 

When Abraham Lincoln was a young man he worked 
in a store. Once a poor woman came to buy something. 



6 9 

Lincoln made a mistake and asked her six cents too much. 
That evening, after the store was closed, he walked three 
miles in the rain to tell the woman about his mistake and to 
give back to her the six cents. 

Twenty -eighth Child 

Lincoln was always kind. Once he was out riding 
all dressed up in his best clothes. He thought he wouldn't 
spoil his clothes helping some pigs, so he drove on. But he 
couldn't help thinking about them. By and by he went 
back and pulled all the little pigs out of the mud. "I 
spoiled my new clothes," he said, "but I took a big 
pain out of my heart. " 

Twenty-ninth Child 

Abraham Lincoln was for many years a lawyer. He 
was very wise and fair and when people got into trouble, 
they would go to him for help. 

Thirtieth Child 

He was always glad to help anyone, but he would 
never tell or act what was not true or take any money 
to help a man who had done wrong. 

Thirty- first Child 

All over the country people heard what a great man 
Lincoln was. 



7° 

Thirty-second Child 

Our country was in trouble. People wanted a wise 
and brave man for president. 

Thirty-third Child 

They said, "Lincoln will make us a good president, 
and help our country just as George Washington did." 

Thirty-Fourth Child 

So they chose Lincoln and he went to live in the beau- 
tiful White House in Washington. 

Thirty-fifth Child • 

He lived in the same house where President Roosevelt 
lives now. 

Thirty-sixth Child 

Very soon there was a dreadful war and hundreds of 
men gave up their lives. 

Thirty- seventh Child 

A great many of the soldiers were buried at Gettys- 
burg where there had been a terrible battle. President 
Lincoln once made a wonderful speech at this cemetery. 
Many people think it was the best speech that he ever 
made. Since then it has been read and spoken by thou- 
sands of men and boys all over this country. 



Thirty-eighth Child 

Lincoln helped to stop the dreadful war. He loved 
every part of the country. 

Thirty-ninth Child 

People said, "Let us have Abraham Lincoln for our 
President again." 

Fortieth Child 

One day a wicked man shot and killed him. 

Forty-first Child 

The whole country was very sad. Everyone had lost 
a good friend. 

Forty-second Child 

We always like to keep Lincoln's birthday, because 
he did so much for our country. 

Forty-third Child 

Abraham Lincoln was a hero. He was never afraid 
to do right. 



Our Colors 

A Patriotic Exercise 

Alice E. Allen 

(Girls of three sizes are chosen for this exercise. They 
march on stage, forming three rows, tallest ones across 
back of stage, shorter ones next, and tiny ones in front. 
Those in back row hold in left hand, at side, a plain red 
flag; those in next row, white flags; those in front, blue 
flags. All carry in right hands, concealed behind backs, 
American flags. A large American flag should be taste- 
fully draped just above them. Children may be prettily 
costumed in red, white, and blue, if desired. As they 
march to stage and take places, they and whole school 
sing: Opening Chorus, "Star Spangled Banner.") 

Selected Child (standing in front oj others) recites: 

I know a happy color, 

It flashes in the flame, 
It burns in summer sunsets — 

Tell me, what is its name? 

Children, who hold red flags, raise them above lejt shoul- 
der and back oj head. Hold. (These motions with flags 
must be done simultaneously throughout the exercise.) 
72 



73 

Child 

Another dainty color 

Is winter's own, I'm sure, 
Her snowflake fairies wear it, 

So spotless and so pure. 

Children, who hold white flags, raise them, letting arm 
curve prettily above head, thus bringing flag a little to 
right. Hold. 

Child 

One more dear little color 

Its home is in the skies, 
It sparkles from the ocean, 

It shines from children's eyes. 

Children who hold blue flags, raise them, letting them 
rest diagonally across breast. Hold. 

Child 

These three brave little colors — 

The Red, the White, the Blue — 
Are made into a Banner, 

What is it ? Tell me true. 

All children on stage drop left hands to sides, raise flags, 
waving them slowly, looking up at them, sing : 

"'Tis the Star Spangled Banner, 
Oh, long may it wave 
O'er the land of the Free, 
And the home of the Brave!" 



74 

All march toward jront oj stage, raise flags directly in 
front of, and above, head; recite: 

Beautiful Colors! May all read your story, 

Honor his memory, honor this morn! 

(Wave flags slowly) 
Float on forever in bright starry glory 

Over the land where brave Lincoln was born: 

All children on stage and in seats each waving flag; sing 
joyously: 

And the Star Spangled Banner 
In triumph shall wave, etc. 



Our Flag 

A Song for Lincoln's Birthday 
Alice E. Allen 

(Music: "Star Spangled Banner") 

O'er wide western fields, rich with wheat and with corn, 
O'er broad, northern lakes, where the cold winds are 
blowing 
O'er far eastern shores bright with tints of the morn, 

O'er glad southern states where the sunlight is glowing, 
There shines one fair Flag 

With colors so warm, 
In bright starry splendor, 
Through sunshine and storm! 

Chorus 

'Tis the Star Spangled Banner, oh, long may it wave 
O'er the Land of the free, and the Home of the brave. 

Its stripes, white and red, floated out brave and bold 
O'er Washington's troops, known to song and to story, 

Its beautiful stars Lincoln's memory hold, 
It led " Boys in blue" on to fame and to glory. 

75 



76 

And so our proud Flag, 

With its Red, White and Blue, 

Is the symbol forever 
Of hearts that are true. 

Chorus 

Oh, Flag of our Country, so fearless and free, 

You shine, this glad day, for a nation all glorious, 
Your bright folds unfurled o'er the Isles of the sea 
Again tell the world that right is victorious. 
Our praises we give 

To the heroes we love, 
And to Him, whom they honored — 
Our Father above. 

Chorus 
And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave, etc. 



Lincoln's Story 

Susie L. Fitz 

(By five little girls) 



First Girl 



When Lincoln was a little boy, 

He was very, very poor, 
His home, a rude hut made of logs 

With no window nor no door. 



Second Girl 



Beside the open fireplace, 
In winter evenings cold, 

He worked out his arithmetic 
On a shovel with charcoal. 



Third Girl 



He studied all the time he could, 
His books were old and few, 

He read them all so many times 

He knew them through and through. 

77 



7* 
Fourth Girl 

Kind to the aged and the poor 

A cheerful word for all, 
He learned to be both wise and good; 

Loved by the children small. 



Fifth Girl 



When people saw him, wise and kind, 
Honest and good and true — 

And made our Lincoln president — 
He ever right did do. 



A Lincoln Drill 

Susie L. Fitz 

(This drill is for seven small boys, each carrying shovels 
made from white cardboard, with the dates 1809 and 1865 
on one side; on the other side large letters, one on each 
blade, to spell — Lincoln. The shovels are held with 
dates to the audience until the last movement. Music 
march. Eight counts to each movement. 

1 Hold shovel in both hands down at arms length 
front. 

2 Lower blade to floor retaining hold of handle. 

3 Motion as though throwing earth. 

4 Bring blade up to left hand and hold it out from 
chest. 

5 Bring right hand slowly over forehead as though 
thinking, still holding shovel in left hand. 

6 Motion with right hand on shovel as though doing 
arithmetic. 

7 Turn shovel so as to spell LINCOLN, holding 
both hands on handle, the blade in front of chest. 

8 Place shovel on right shoulder, still holding it in 
both hands. March off stage. 

79 



What Makes Great Men 

Alice E. Allen 

(For seven tiny boys) 

{Each carries big letter — L-I-N-C-O-L-N. These letters 
are held behind the back, until the word in which it is found is 
named, then it is held out. Each boy recites line arranged 
for his letter.) 

I help to make Loyalty, 

Kindness holds me, 
Unselfishness needs me, 
I'm in courage, you see. 

When honesty's mentioned, 
I'm always around, 
There's no /ove without me, 
With patience, I'm found. 

All (holding letters high) 

These seven little letters 

Make Lincoln, and just so, 
These seven little virtues 

Made the great man, you know. 
Perhaps if now we learn them, 

To great men we will grow, 
We seven little fellows — 

A-standing in a row. 
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LB S : I2 



